We live today in a world that is hyper-connected, where data has become of utmost importance. The sheer volume of data generated and processed is, simply put, staggering. This has brought about a need for real-time processing and analytics, making it an imperative for businesses worldwide. On one hand, traditional centralized cloud computing is quite powerful, but it does come with its downsides, especially around latency and security while dealing with data of this magnitude. Edge computing brings about the much-needed change to all of this, and Lenovo comes with the right solutions for every business.
Edge Computing is essentially the next step in the evolutionary chain of centralized cloud computing. Ironically, the first thing that is Edge Computing is that its completely decentralized. Through Edge Computing solutions, data is processed locally and closer to its source, as opposed to being sent to a centralized data centre. This reduces the distance between the data source and the centre, which in-turn reduces latency allowing for real-time data processing, a vital part for applications that require immediate responses such as autonomous vehicles, smart cities or even industrial automation.
Edge Computing is distributed across a network mix of edge devices and nodes, which include on-premises servers and cloud. Edge devices are the data collection endpoints, including IoT sensors, smartphones and industrial machines that generate data, while Edge nodes process the data gathered locally and send it to the relevant cloud for further analysis. The network will also include Edge data centres, which are geographically located closer to edge devices, to store and process data locally and Edge Analytics will help businesses extract insights from their data.
Lenovo offers its customers a powerful portfolio of Edge Computing solutions, which include ThinkEdge servers for businesses of all scales and types, each capable of handling real-time data aggregation and processing while allowing for business scaling.
Edge Computing comes with a whole array of benefits that apply to various business case scenarios. One of its main highlights focuses on how it reduces overall latency, allowing for real-time analytics by processing data locally and ensuring minimal delays. It also improves data security due to the minimal need of sensitive data transfer, thereby removing risk of data breaches. A distributed architecture model also adds further security. Edge Computing is also cost effective due to optimized data processing and allows for distributed scalability.
Lenovo’s Edge Computing solutions also bring in a range of further benefits. Lenovo’s Edge ecosystem is open and flexible, while easily integrating with all key cloud providers for end-to-end ongoing management. The integrated solutions are also resilient and cost-effective that are easy to deploy and operate, even to maximize edge workload performance. These solutions also allow for better data management, thanks to a wide choice of products, services and guidance, all of which are available for advanced hybrid infrastructure.
Edge Computing is definitely a solution that company CIO’s need to look into, but it has to be implemented after deeply understanding businesses needs and identifying where exactly Edge Computing can provide value. Careful research must also go into choosing and implementing the right infrastructure before going into a testing phase.
One such example of edge computing can be seen in Barcelona, which now boasts a smart city architecture that accelerates the city’s digital transformation. The transformation can be felt across different sectors, such as education, industry, commerce, tourism, transport etc, including use case scenarios such as traffic management, energy conservation, optimized parking and more. Lenovo supplied this project with a smart infrastructure that supports the deployment of a private 5G stand alone network that runs on different nodes of the ThinkEdge SE450 and Lenovo’s Open Cloud Automation (LOC-A) software for end-to-end and streamlined automation process. The Edge nodes for this project were built into more than 3,000 street cabinets found around the city, owned and controlled by the communications provider and used to host communications SP equipment.
Edge Computing also played a crucial role in the public health sector, where Italian company Addfor, used Lenovo’s Edge Computing solution ThinkSystem SE350 with Nvidia T4 Tensor Core GPU, to effectively and precisely measure, in real-time, the large quantity of data to analyse the effectiveness of COVID-19 measures. Through Lenovo’s solution, wireless streaming of drone video footage was effortlessly shared for analysis, while overall traffic load was reduced for it to be done in real-time. This in-turn also helped local authorities to measure compliance with COVID-19 public health measures.
Edge Computing currently is the fastest growing segment in the industry, with IDC predictions showing that 50% of new enterprise IT infrastructure will be built around Edge Computing by this year. With the onset of 5G networks and the growth of AI capabilities, edge computing is set to play a vital role in many upcoming sectors such as advanced augmented reality, smart cities and autonomous vehicles. For businesses, its best to invest into Edge Computing today, setting them up for tomorrow’s digital world and giving them a competitive edge.
With Lenovo, a pioneer in Edge Computing solutions, a comprehensive portfolio of Edge Computing products and tools await businesses, who want to unleash their true potential with the power of Edge.
